Improvement in hemp-brakes



R. MANSLEY.

Hemp Brakfa.

No. 22,661. Patented lany 18, 1859.

@www MM l In! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

IHVIIA lll) hIfMSLIY,

IMPROVEMENT IN HEMP-BRAKES.

Specilieaiion Vorming part ol" Letters laten No. 22,66l, dated January 1H, lbll.

To HU whom, it 71mg/ voltea/'1a.'

lle it known that fl, iliona un Minster, of the city and county of lhihnlolphia, and State oiY Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful `l1nlnoveinent in Vlleinplrakes; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ol' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ol" rel'ereuee marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class ofhen1p-brakes in which horizontal slides with transverse bars are used in connection with stzitionary bars; and myimprovement consists in operating' the slide by means ol'I an arm, cam, and spring arranged substantially as described hereinafter, the spring being so graduated that when the slide has been impelled to the limit oi'its outward movementit shall instantly recede, thereby ell'ectual ly opening the iibers and shatteringthe ligneeus pith of the hemp.

1n order to enable others to vmake and use my invention, l will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

(,)n reference te the accompanying drawings, which form a partol'this specification, Figures l and 2 are sectional elevations of my improved hemp-brake, Fig. i5, a transverse section.

A is the foundation ol' the machine, to which are secured the three vertical posts addiA tional steadiness being imparted to the latter by the diagonal braces (i, and the posts being connected together at the top by the transverse piece a.

In the spaces between and near the top of the posts are iirmly secured a series oi' horizontal bars, c e,with beveled ed ges. These bars are a sullicient distance apart to admit without Contact the beveled edges of another series ol' bars, f j', a set of which is secured to the end oi" each of the slides D and D", which are arranged to move horizontally in guides attached to the intermediate posts, E, and rear posts,F, which are firmly secured to the base A. Bach ofthe slides D and D hasa cross-bar, l,whieh has an opening, l'or the admission of the end of the long arm of the lever G, secured to a shaft, which is arranged to vibrate in at tachments to the intermediate posts, E. A shaft, g, turns in the same attachments, and to this shalt are secured two cams, H and IIL-one l'or aeling on the lever (l of one slide and the other l'or acting on the lever of the other slide. The short arm of each lever is connected by a rod, l, to a spring, J, secured to the transverse bar which connects together the tops of the rear uprights, F. A shoulder, in, is formedon the short arm of each lever, so that as the cam. revolves the rounded edge bears against the edge of thelever above the shoulder and moves it, with the slide,to the position shown in Fig. l. when thcbarsj` are at theliinit of their backward movement. As the cam continues torevolve, however, its point passes the shoulder nt ol' the lever,whieh, through the action ol' the spring J, suddenly moves to the position shown in ]l`ig. L, and carries the slide forward so far that the beveled edges ol' the bars f enter a short distance into the spaces between the sta tionary bars c e. This position of the slide, however, is but o1' momentary duration, for the spring J is so graduated that the moment thel slide has been projected forward to the extent described itreeedes to a slight extent and remains stationary, its bars f a short distance from the stationary bars c, until the cam again moves the slide back to the position shownin Fig. 1l.. i t will thus be seen that as the shaft revolves the slides will be drawn back by a gradual motion and projected forward by a sudden impulse, the last portion of the forward movement being etl'ected through the momentum ol.' the slide, acquired by the action ofthe spring in the first instance, and not by the direct action. ol' the spring throughout; hence the sudden receding of the slide prior to its being drawn back by the cam. The attendant stands on the platl'ormj in front ofthe maehine,and, holding in his hands a bundle of hemp-stalks, passes it between the stationary bars c and movable bars f. By the repeated blows ol" the latter the pith or ligneous matter is broken and the bers are split open, so as to allow this li gneous matter to escape onto the inclined platform 7i', down which it slides to the ground.

I have found by Ignaetieal experiment that the ligneous pith ot' hemp is more eTectually shattered and the fibers more readily opened by a sudden blow than by a gradual pushing movement, such as is attained in many hempbrakes by a crank motion. In order to render the su ddeu blow most effective, it is important that the hzirsshenhl net rennlin pressed zleninst the hemp ztl'ter the hlew is stlneh, hnt shellhl instantly reeeih :is lleseriheil atheve.

l le net elninl, llreznlly, theen1| |ey1nent, in henlpln'nkes, el' herixentnlly-nmving slides, with hairs se sitnnted that the lienlp lnny he presented wrtieztlly te the lnnehine, :is sneh n device hns been heretofore used; hnt

l elztini und lesre te seenre by l[letters lzitent- Operating the llerizentnl slides l)l with its transverse bars, by the (5mn ll, :Lun (l, and.

spring .I, when :trrnngeil snlistatntinlly es deserihell7 :tml when the smid spring;` is se gunt nztteil. that the slide slnill instantly reeeile nlter renehingthe linlit el' its entwnrll nlevenlent, :is :nnl l'er the purpose herein .set elth.

ln testimony whereof lV hzwesigneil my nznne te this speeileutien inthe [n.'eseneeef twesnly serihng witnesses.

lt] (ll l A ll` l) ,lllJ'XVNHl'l l l Y Witnesses:

l Hanni? l l0 wson, vllnNnY Onlyennrz. 

